The Soviet Secret Service Base ‘Military Town No. 7’

Architectural remains and traces in the Nauener Vorstadt district of Potsdam still bear witness today to its nearly fifty-year use as a secret service compound for Soviet military counter-espionage. The aim of the guided tour is to make these visible to visitors and, through a walk through the former high-security area, to give them an insight into the history and structures of this almost self-sufficient ‘military town’. 
The tour begins at a true-to-scale model in the courtyard of the former remand prison. Here, it becomes clear that ‘Military Town No. 7’ was a focal point of the Cold War. The route then takes visitors past, amongst other things, the former administrative headquarters of the counter-espionage service, the courtroom of the Soviet military tribunals and the residence of the head of the secret service. Historical photographs illustrate the extensive structural alterations made to these former villas. Furthermore, relics of a large memorial complex and Russian-language inscriptions on trees bear witness to the everyday life of the intelligence officers and soldiers stationed here. The tour is approximately 1.2 km long.

In German.

Location: Gedenkstätte Leistikowstraße Potsdam, Leistikowstraße 1, 14469 Potsdam